The Party
"The Party" is the 16th episode of Season One of the FOX television show Brooklyn Nine-Nine. It originally aired 4th February 2014 to 3.22 million viewers. Episode Synopsis The entire squad is invited to Captain Holt's birthday party, where Terry struggles to make everyone behave properly. Boyle meets an older woman named Vivian. Plot The whole squad is invited to Captain Holt's birthday party although Jake says that he doesn't think Holt wants him there. Terry sees the squad being immature and takes them to the briefing room to teach them about adult parties and the rules. He tells them that they can't arrive late, no going on your phone, bring a bottle of wine and no shorts (including dress shorts). Jake plans to impress Kevin with cop stories as civilians love cop stories. Jake arrives to the party 35 minutes late and finds out that he'd bought the same wine as everybody else from the finest vineyard in Arkansas for $8. Kevin and Holt greet them and Jake tries to tell a cop story, only to be rebuffed by Kevin who says that his house has a no cop talk policy. He is curt to Jake about his wine and offers to pour him all of it. Charles spills food on his shirt so Terry gives him his sweater, before Terry taking the group aside and giving them all a topic to talk about. Amy can talk about art history, Scully can talk about opera, Boyle can talk about food, Rosa has to babysit Gina and stop her from stealing (although it's too late). Jake and Hitchcock are told to not talk and just nod politely. However, Jake heard Kevin mention the New Yorker and is determined to talk about it, as he has also "read" a copy. Jake finds Kevin and casually mentions the New Yorkers to Kevin and an article he read at the dentist on Human Trafficking. Kevin says that they must discuss and Jake agrees although Holt calls him away quickly. Charles meets an older woman called Vivian Ludley. He is amazed to find out that she works with Kevin and was the author of one of his favourite recipe books. Vivian tells Charles about eating ortolan, and Charles finds her very attractive. Vivian asks if he's single, and Charles, after looking at Rosa, says that he is. The two start talking and get along well. Rosa starts talking to some of Kevin's co-workers, one of whom studies abnormal psychology. Rosa introduces them to Gina. They are all amazed by her "complete overlap of ego and ID" which had only been theorized before. Terry finds Jake on the phone to his credit company who declined his subscription to the New Yorker as they believed it was fraud. Terry says that the first few paragraphs are free but if catches him on his phone again, he will crush it. In the kitchen, Terry finds Amy taking photos of the contents of the Captain's cupboard. She deduces that he makes his own hummus. Terry asks her what she'd doing and she says she's taking notes so that she can bond with him. Terry confiscates her phone much to her annoyance. She decides to talk to Captain Holt about their shared topics but he is confused and doesn't engage with her which makes her decide to "massively violate" his privacy and go to his room. Meanwhile, Charles ends up kissing in the closet with Vivian. Jake tries to find the article in the New Yorker in the library but is found by Holt. Holt asks why he's suddenly talking about the New Yorker and that he shouldn't try so hard to impress Kevin. Jake realizes that the article is in the bathroom but can't find it. Kevin finds Jake again and begins to talk about the article but he wants to talk about the thesis regarding modern slavery. Jake disagrees with the thesis saying it's off base with America. Kevin says that the thesis was anti-slavery and asks why Jake is pro-slavery. Jake says that Kevin must be remembering it incorrectly and Kevin says that he read it last night in bed so it's fresh in his memory. Jake excuses himself to find the article. Both Jake and Amy go up to the Captain's bedroom but are spotted by Terry. Amy is looking through the captain's DVR and Jake is looking for the article when Terry comes in and tells them to go downstairs. Just as they are about to, they hear Kevin and Holt coming upstairs. Holt and Kevin are arguing about how Kevin is being curt and snobby to the 99. Kevin disagrees saying that the 99 are the ones ruining the party and asks why Holt invited them. Holt says that he likes them and that they are good people. He then hears Amy sneezing as the three have found Cheddar and Amy is allergic. Holt is annoyed to find them in the bathroom. In the morning at the precinct, Jake and Amy are both embarrassed by what happened and Amy wonders why Kevin didn't want them there having never met them before. Jake then figures out why and confronts Kevin. He figures out that Kevin doesn't like cops due to the discrimination Holt has been put through for being gay. Kevin reveals that he's right and Jake says he has a plan to make Holt's birthday good again. The precinct arrange for Kevin and Holt to have dinner out. Amy picked the restaurant, Terry picked the wine, Charles and Vivian picked the food and Gina returns what she stole (although some of the things aren't theirs). Jake says that he will never talk about the New Yorker and Kevin tells him to call him Kev. Holt guesses that Jake told him to say that and Kevin says that he wanted to be the funny one. Scully sings opera as the precinct leave Kevin and Holt to their dinner. Cast Running Jokes No Look Five * Jake and Charles high five each other in the morning briefing. Topless Hitchcock * When Boyle spills sauce on his shirt, Hitchcock immediately offers him his own, which he was about to remove anyway. Character being related to Hitchcock or Scully * Jake realizes that Terry is "hitchcocking" him when he's told to stay out of the way, and Hitchcock says that he shouldn't be surprised because they're practically twins. Blaming Amy * When Terry walks in on Amy and Jake snooping in Holt's bedroom, Jake pushes the blame on Amy, saying "this is low, even for you." Amy embarrasses herself in front of Holt *When Amy sees Holt she yells, "Raymond, those slacks are a knockout" *Amy attempts to make conversation regarding the fact they have the same microwave and making hummus to bond but he doesn't know what she's talking about and he awkwardly leaves Cultural References * Holt's husband's name, Kevin Cozner, sounds very similar to actor Kevin Costner. Costner is most known for his role in Dances with Wolves. This is why, when the character's name is first introduced, Jake asks if he is the star of "Danzez with Wolvez". * Jake uses the phrase "tough Tetris." Tetris is a popular 1980s video game. * Jake plan to duet Adele's hit song, "Rolling in the Deep" with Kevin at the party. * Gina mentions wanting to wear dress shorts to the party, like those that Jennifer Aniston might wear. Aniston known for her 10 years on the hit series, Friends. * Kevin mentions the story of Beowulf. Beowulf is thought to be the longest surviving Old English epic poem. * Kevin says he met Holt while writing an article for The New Yorker. The New Yorker is a magazine that focuses on cultural life in New York, as well as global social issues and politics. It's average audience is middle age with a $100K income. * Kevin works at Columbia University, an Ivy League school and the oldest institute for higher education in New York. * Jake jokes that he is interested in the classics: Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix and Die Hard. Led Zeppelin and Jimi Hendrix are music artists in the classic rock genre. Die Hard is Jake's favorite film. * The Odyssey is referenced as one of the stories Kevin teaches at Columbia. The Odyssey is an ancient Greek epic poem. * After being introduced to the psychologist, Gina says 'Ashanti.' It's likely she meant to say 'Enchanté,' which means "Nice to meet you" in French. Ashanti is an R&B singer-songwriter. * Jake says a photo of Holt and Kevin looks like "black Tom Selleck and white Sidney Poitier." Tom Selleck is a white actor known for sporting a thick mustache. Sidney Poitier was the first African-American to win an Academy Award for Best Actor. * When Jake lists a series of his 'interests,' Holt's notes that those are actually the topics from the previous night's Jeopardy. Jeopardy is a television quiz show. * Gina says at any given moment she' thinking about "Richard Dreyfuss, hunkered over, eating dog food." This could be a reference to the film Down and Out in Beverly Hills in which, Dreyfuss's costar Nick Nolte eats dog food. * Terry and other party guest are arguing about whether Francois Truffaut or Jean-Luc Godard should be attributed with the creation of the 1960s French crime film Breathless (À bout de souffle; "Out of Breath"). On IMDB, Truffaut is credited with coming up with the story, and Godard is created with writing the screenplay and directing the film. In an earlier episode, Terry mentions his favorite cop movie is "Truffaut's Breathless." * Shows on Holt's DVR include: Masterpiece Mystery, Bones, Sherlock, and How It's Made: Contact Lenses. Soundtrack * At the party, Scully sings "Una Furtiva Lagrima." * At Holt and Kevin's private dinner, Scully sings "'O Sole Mio." Gallery The Party 1.png The Party 2.jpg The Party 3.jpg The Party 4.jpg The Party 5.jpg The Party 6.jpg The Party 7.jpg The Party 8.jpg The Party 9.jpg The Party 10.jpg The Party 11.jpg The Party 12.jpg The Party 13.jpg The Party 14.jpg The Party 15.jpg The Party 16.jpg The Party 17.jpg The Party.png Quotes Santiago: Everyone check your e-mail. The greatest thing that could ever happen has just happened! Peralta: The girl who beat you for high school valedictorian died? Boyle: Why wouldn't Holt want us there? Peralta: Because he thinks we're going to embarrass him in front of his husband, which frankly is insulting! (knocks over a bowl) Oh, man! All the orange soda spilled out of my cereal. Jeffords: Boyle! What happened to your shirt!? Boyle: I spilled a wonderful winter salsa. Hitchcock: Here, wear my shirt. I was gonna take it off anyway. Jeffords: Party huddle! Stat! (everyone crowds into a corner) Okay, gang, we need a new strategy. Peralta: Totally! What is going on out there? We can't tell cop stories, Kevin doesn't find me charming, and a native English-speaker referred to Captain Holt as hilarious! I am flummoxed! That's a word I learned for this party, and I am it! Santiago: Well I'm doing fine. Peralta: Really? "Raymond, those slacks are a knock-out!" Santiago: Do you think he heard that? Peralta: Only cuz you yelled it. Jeffords: Shut up. From now on, we play to our strengths. Charles, you know everything about food. That's all you talk about. Boyle: I mean, I don't think anyone well ever know everything about food. It's an evolving discipline... Jeffords: That's great stuff. It's so boring. Don't waste it. Amy, you studied art history. That's interesting. Scully, opera. Hitchcock, nothing. Talk about nothing. Rosa, stick with Gina. Make sure she doesn't say anything insane or steal anything. Gina: (holds up a bag) Too late! (giggles) Don't worry, it's just like hats and scarves and stuff. Diaz: She will put those back. I will handle the chit-chat. Santiago: (sweetly) Well that just leaves you, Peralta. What's your cultural specialty? Peralta: Easy. Kevin mentioned the New Yorker, and I've totally read that. (flashback to Peralta in a dentist chair holding a magazine and laughing) Jeffords: Keep a low profile, chuckle at anecdotes, and try not to start any conversations. Peralta: Got it. (beat) Wait a minute! You're Hitchcocking me!? (Jeffords shrugs) Hitchcock: Well not surprising. We're practically twins. Rosa: Gina, what are you thinking about right now? Gina: I was thinking how I would make the perfect American president, based upon my skill set, dance ability, and bloodlust. Professor: That... is... fascinating. Amy: "If I'm going to bond with him Holt, I have to massively violate his privacy." Holt: Santiago, are you hiding in my bathroom with a dog that you're deathly allergic to? Amy, from the bathroom: No. Category:Episodes Category:Season One Episodes Category:Episodes written by Gil Ozeri Category:Episodes written by Gabe Liedman Category:Episodes directed by Michael Engler